Actress Monica Bedi recently visited Jaipur and the city brought back childhood memories. She had been denied entry into a cinema hall, she recounts. “I must have been around six or seven when I was in Jaipur for a family trip. I had never gone to cinema halls before, so my parents took me to watch a film at the famous Raj Mandir. At that point, Ram Teri Ganga Maili was being screened. As we reached the gate, I was stopped by the guards. My parents had to tell them that they were okay with me watching the film and only then was I allowed inside. I remember I was more interested in the interiors of the hall. It was beautiful,“ says Monica.

'BIGG BOSS HAS BEEN THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME'
While Monica started off with Bollywood films, she had to struggle a lot to get good roles after her involvement with gangster Abu Salem and her imprisonment. “When I was released (from jail), I had zero expectations from the film industry. I had no clue if I would ever get good projects. Bigg Boss has been the best thing that ever happened in my life. People got to know the real Monica and their perception changed about me, which helped me gain confidence.“

'I WAS INITIALLY SCEPTICAL ABOUT DOING A TV SHOW, AND THAT TOO PLAYING A NEGATIVE CHARACTER'
Monica, who has worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the show Saraswatichandra, his directorial debut on television, says was sceptical about doing a TV show. She said, “This one was a negative character. While I was trying to re-establish myself in the industry, I did not want to take any risk. I took up the role, and soon realised that whatever this show and my character gave me in return was incomparable. People liked the role. The saris that I wore for the show became equally popular.“